Equal-loudness-contour weighting schemes failed as loudness meters

Evidence

In a common implementation of the loudness balancing procedure, we measure the level of a sound of interest (the test stimulus here) that matches the level of a 1000-Hz stimulus (the reference stimulus). For these studies, a 1000-Hz tone is always the reference sound, and it is presented at some fixed stimulus level (e.g., 40 dB SPL). The two sounds (the 1000-Hz reference and the test stimulus) are always presented in succession (never simultaneously) and sometimes to opposite ears if the listener has normal hearing. In a typical experiment, the method of adjustment is used where the listener adjusts the level of the test sound so that its loudness is equal to that of the reference sound. The level of the 1000-Hz tone in dB SPL is the loudness level of the test sound, measured in phons. — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 745 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: A-weighted dB values misrepresent perceived loudness for complex sounds. — Professor Dr.-Ing. Hugo Fastl, Professor Dr.-Ing. Eberhard, Psychoacoustics- Facts and Models, 1176; A-weighted sound pressure level misrepresents the loudness of broadband noises; ISO standardized loudness-based noise metrics because A-weighting proved inadequate (+7 more)

Related

• Loudness meters use frequency weightings as a compromise because ear response varies with level (similarity 0.92)
• ISO standardized loudness-based noise metrics because A-weighting proved inadequate (similarity 0.88)
• No single frequency-weighting can accurately meter loudness at all levels (similarity 0.88)
• A-weighting is recommended for all sound levels despite fitting low levels best (similarity 0.88)
• The phon scale defines loudness relative to equal-loudness matches at 1 kHz (similarity 0.87)
• Loudness is a subjective percept standardized against 1-kHz tone levels in phons (similarity 0.87)
• Loudness is measured subjectively against 1 kHz reference tones (similarity 0.86)
• Perceived loudness meters must weight frequencies as a compromise across sound levels. (similarity 0.86)
• The phon unit anchors loudness to perceived equality across frequencies rather than raw SPL (similarity 0.85)
• Loudness is measured by listeners assigning numbers relative to a reference sound. (similarity 0.85)
• A-weighted decibels are a rough practical approximation of perceived loudness (similarity 0.85)
• Sound measurement must be frequency-weighted because ears are not uniformly sensitive (similarity 0.85)
• Loudness curves from anechoic pure tones fail on real broadband program material (similarity 0.85)
• A-weighting can miss dominant low-frequency energy in broadband sounds (similarity 0.85)
• Equal-loudness contours are a fixed property of human hearing (similarity 0.84)

Broader Connections

• Loudness meters use frequency weightings as a compromise because ear response varies with level #qualifies (0.85)
• The phon scale defines loudness relative to equal-loudness matches at 1 kHz #expands (0.80) — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 745